Cardboard box



June 19, 1934. J RQBERTS 1,963,677

CARDBOARD BOX Filed March 16, 1933 zhmeo 1i ROberZs Mair/m 35 greatly reduce the'amount of cardboard or the Patented June 19, 1934 UNITED STATES YPATENT oFF-Ics I I flsca'sw' v CARDBOARD BOX James H. Roberts, Zanesville, Ohio, assignor to liazel Atlas Glass Company, Wheeling, W. Va., a corporation of West Virginia 7 i Application March 16, 1933, Serial No. 661,134 4 claims. s. 229915) 4 'Theinvention relates to improvements in cardboard boxes, particularly for glass articles, such as bottles and similar articles, though it will be apparent that the improved box is equally well adaptable to general use.

To insure the bottles and other glass articles against breakage while stored and While being transported, it has been the general practice to provide the cardboard boxes with afiller of crossed partitions thereby forming a plurality of cells, each cell receiving a bottle or other article. In this old practice the partitions, which are usually of corrugated cardboard, extend from the bottom to'the top of the container and serve to prevent contact between the surfaces of adjacent articles and undue movement of the articles. It will also be understood that these cross partitions extending from the bottom to the top of the containers give added strengh and prevent the boxes from becoming damaged or partly collapsed when subjected to pressure on the top by reason of the containers being stacked in piles for storage or S ppin It has also been the usual practice to place a liner of corrugated cardboard, around the inside of the walls of the container, such liners extending from the bottom to the top of the container and serving to cushion shocks against the sides of the container.

While the corrugated board or the like used for the partitions and cushions may not beconsidered very expensive, nevertheless 'it becomes a very important item where hundreds of thousands of the boxes are used monthly.

The main object of the present invention is to like required in containers of this character for partitions and liners or cushions, without weakening the package and without lessening in any degree the safety of the articles.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art, from the following detailed description when taken in connection with the accompanying drawing; in

which, 7 I

Figure 1 is a perspective View of an open'container provided with the novel arrangement of partitions and liner, and showing some of the ware in place therein; and

Figure 2 is a perspective view of the partitions and liner per se, removed from the container.

Referring to the drawing in more detail, the numeral 1 indicates a cardboard container or carton preferably of the folded blank variety, and provided with flaps 2 and Badapted to be folded inwardly andsealed after the container is packed. Mounted within the carton 1 is-a filler formed of longitudinal and transverse partitions 4 and 5, respectively. These partitions are preferably madeof corrugated paper, one series being provided with vertical slots in the lower edges and the other set withvertical slots in the upper edges, so as to form an interlocking engagement between the two series. By this means a plurality of individual cells are formed to receive and space apart the articles of glassware indicated by numeral 6.

It will-be noted that the articles illustrated are bottles, formed as usual with necks substantially smallerindiameter than the bodies, and the neck and body being connected by the usual shoulder. Itis old, of course, to employ interlockingpartitions, but in accordance with the present invention only one. set of partitions, referred to herein by numeral 5, extends all the way'from the bottom to the top of the box. The other set of partitions, referred to by numeral 4, extends from the bottom upwardly only .to the shoulders of the bottles or a very slight distance above the shoulders. Thus the bottles are as fully protected so as if :both sets ofpartitions extended the full heightof the box; andth'e partitions 5, which do extend the full height of the box, provide sufiicient strength and rigidity to permit the stacking of the packages for storing and shipping. Thus it will be apparent that the present invention provides a very great saving in the amount of cardboard, without weakening the boxor increasing the liability of breakage} It might also be mentioned that by extending the partitions 4 only up to the shoulders of the bottles, it is possible to place the bottles in the box more quickly, and it likewise facilitates the inspection and removal of the bottles.

A liner indicated by the numeral 7 is preferably formed of corrugated paper-board, and is shown as composed of two L-shaped sections, although it will be understood that a single section of the material may be bent up into the form desired. In accordance with the present invention the liner extends upwardly only to a point substantially flush with the shoulders of the bottles shown in the package of Figure 1. In the prior practice the liner extended the full height of the box. It will be apparent, however, that in the present inventionthe low liner serves to cushion that part of the ware which would otherwise come into contact with the side walls of the container, and obviously the narrower portions of the articles need no such protection. So the low liner produces exactly the same cushion effect as in the prior practice, and at the same time provides a great saving in material.

It is essential, of course, that the lower liners or cushions be maintained in their proper position, for otherwise the cushion effect would be lost at the points Where it was necessary. In the prior practice this problem was not involved, as the liners extended from the bottom to the top of the box. In accordance with the present invention, the partitions 5 are provided with cutout portions in their vertical edges, thereby forming shoulders 8 which overhang the upper edge of the side liners. It is thus apparent that the side liners are locked in their proper position by the partitions 5 which are themselves held against movement by engagement with the top of the box.

The end liners are of substantially the same height as the partitions 4, and hence it is impossible to lock these liners in position by these partitions. This is taken care of, in the present invention, by forming each end liner integral with one of the side liners, whereby all of the parts are interlocked and securely held in their proper positions; the end liners being held in position by the side liners, the side liners being held in posi- ,tion by the shoulders 8 of the partitions 5, and

the partitions 4 and 5 being held in position by reason of the engagement of the partitions 5 with the top and bottom of the box. It will be obvious that a liner formed of a single sheet of material may be employed instead of the two L-shaped liners '7. It will also be obvious that the construction illustrated could be reversed, so that the partitions 4 would extend to the top of the box and the partitions 5 would terminate at substantially the shoulders of the bottles. In such a construction the cut-out portions would be provided in the partitions 4 instead of in the partitions 5. If desired, sheets of cardboard for cushioning purposes maybe arranged over and under the articles, in accordance with the usual practice.

From the foregoing description and the attached drawing illustrating the preferred embodiment of the invention, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art, that I have provided a box which will protect the articles, such as bottles, equally as well as the boxes heretofore known, and which is of sufficient strength to permit the packed boxes to be stacked for storage or shipment, and yet one which requires far less material, whereby the cost of production is proportionately reduced.

Having fully described the invention, what I claim is:

1. In a cardboard box, interlocking cross-partitions forming cells for the reception of articles, some of said partitions extending the full height of the box, others of said partitions extending substantially less than the full height of the box, cushioning liners arranged against the walls of the box, said liners being of substantially less height than the box, and shoulders formed on the vertical edges of certain of the cross-partitions and overhanging the liners, whereby the liners are locked in place.

2. In a cardboard box, interlocking cross-partitions forming cells for the reception of articles, some of said partitions extending the full height of the box, others of said partitions extending substantially less than the full height of the box, a liner arranged against the end walls and side walls of the box, said liner being of substantially less height than the box, and shoulders formed on the vertical edges of the taller of said partitions, the liner being maintained in place by the engagement of a portion thereof by said shoulders.

3. In a cardboard box, interlocking crosspartitions forming cells for the reception of articles, some of said partitions extending the full height of the box, others of said partitions extending substantially less than the full height of the box, L-shaped liners arranged against the walls of the box, said liners being of substantially less height than the box, shoulders formed on the vertical edges of the taller partitions and engaging over one leg of the L-shaped liners.

l. In a cardboard box, interlocking crosspartitions for the reception of shouldered glass bottles, some of the partitions extending the full height of the box, others of said partitions ex tending only to a point substantially flush with the shoulders of the bottles, a liner arranged against the walls of the box, the liner against one wall being integral with the liner against an adjacent wall, said liner being of substantially less height than the box, the partitions which H1 extend the full height of the box maintaining the 1'20 short partitions in place, shoulders formed on the vertical edges of the taller partitions and maintaining in place the section of liner at one wall of the box, the liner at another wall of the box M being maintained in place by its connection with "1'25 the first-mentioned section of the liner.

JAMES H. ROBERTS.

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